


Chicken Soup for the Adult Soul

by moderngenius94



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: 12 Days of Malex 2019, Alternate Universe, Kyle Valenti is a Good Friend, M/M, Malex Secret Santa 2019, Noah isn't evil because I said so, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21767305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moderngenius94/pseuds/moderngenius94
Summary: Michael is relaxing at Isobel's christmas party when he finds out Alex is sick and needs some help.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes, Noah Bracken/Isabel Evans
Comments: 19
Kudos: 127
Collections: 12 Days Of Malex 2019





	Chicken Soup for the Adult Soul

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InsidiousIntent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsidiousIntent/gifts).



> This is for my wonderful friend, Inigo. I love her so much. I hope you enjoy this story I managed to put together for you.  
> -xoxo, SS

Michael carries the final box of decorations into Isobel and Noah’s house. Glancing around at the other boxes littering the living room, he shakes his head and sets the box with the others. He has no idea how they were going to put up thirteen boxes of decorations in the next five hours, but if anyone can do it, it was definitely his sister. Groaning a bit, he stretches and looks around for her. She was always running around like a chicken with her head cut off on the day she held events, and her own parties seemed to bring it out in the worst way. He finally spots her by the kitchen doorway talking to Kyle, of all people.

“Hey Isobel,” he calls, causing the pair to startle and jump apart. “I brought in the last box. Do you need me to do anything else, or am I free to leave?”

Isobel and Kyle exchange a few more words, then Kyle leaves and Isobel makes her way over to him. “You’re free to go, but I need you back here at seven.”

Michael frowns. “Why? The party doesn’t start until eight. _And_ I already told you I wasn’t coming.”

“And I told you that you are. You’re family, Michael. We want you here.” Isobel said, resting a hand on her hip and staring him down.

“Fine.” Michael sighed, caving after a few moments. “But why seven?”

Isobel rolls her eyes. “So I can get you all presentable, obviously. You know I love a chance to play dress up with you. You hardly ever wear the nice things I get you.”

Michael laughs. “Where would I wear them that they wouldn’t get messed up?” He shakes his head. “I’ll be here at seven. Anything else?”

“No, you’re free to go. I’ll see you at seven.” She says, waving him off.

Michael rolls his eyes and makes his way out to his truck. As he climbs into the cab, he notices Kyle leaning against the hood of his SUV. He was on the phone and whoever he was talking to seemed to be giving him trouble. Shaking his head in sympathy, Michael backs out of the drive and heads home. He has a lot of work to get done and if he wants to get back on time, he needs to do it all quickly. He had no interest in making his sister angry tonight.

A few hours and a depressing lack of sunlight later saw Michael making his way up the path that lead to the Evans-Bracken house with five minutes left to spare. He lets himself in and calls for Isobel. As he waits, he takes in all the work that had been done while he was gone. The entire house had been magically transformed. There was a giant tree in one corner of the living room that was beautifully decorated. Gold lights were draped artistically around it, with ornaments in navy and burgundy. The entire living room was decked out with decorations in gold, burgundy, and navy to match the tree. Another corner of the room was set up so that people could take pictures. The wall was covered with gold fabric and there was a table nearby with props for the more adventurous guests.

After a moment, Michael hears the light _click clack_ of heels on tile and turns to see Isobel walking towards him from the kitchen. She is already dressed for the evenings festivities, hair in a fancy, complicated updo and wearing a long shimmering dress the color of fresh plums and covered in sequins. Her strappy, heeled sandals matched the hue of the dress to a tee. She had amethysts dripping down from her ears and draped across her throat. “Well don’t you make the prettiest of pictures,” Michael teases as she gives him a twirl.

“Thanks. Now, head over to the guest bathroom and shower. I have an outfit waiting for you. And DO NOT touch your hair when you get out of the shower; I will deal with it,” Isobel orders, ushering him along.

Michael sighs, but does as ordered. Sometimes it’s best to just do what Isobel wants him to do. When he enters the bathroom he sees what she picked out for him hanging on the towel rack. He shakes his head with a small smile and turns the shower on. When the water is hot enough, he strips and slips into the stall to clean the days dirt off, making sure to wash his hair first so that he can let the conditioner set for as long as possible. Once finished, he shuts the water off and grabs the waiting towel to dry off. He debates shaving before deciding against it. Finally, he carefully pulls the clothes Isobel had gotten for him on.

The black button up and slacks fit so well, Michael is nearly one hundred percent certain she found a way to them tailored. He smiles at the belt. It was slim, made with leather, and had an outrageous gold buckle. Then he slid on the dark gold waistcoat. It contrasted nicely with the black of the rest of the outfit. Sitting down, he pulled on the socks and shoes that completed the look. Pulling open the door, he jumps when he sees Isobel leaning against the opposite wall. She looks him up and down, then nods. “Perfect. Now let me fix your hair.”

Michael moves back into the bathroom and she follows him in. She sets a bag on the counter and pulls out a wide toothed comb and two bottles. She pours some of the first bottle’s substance onto her hand, rubs her hands together, then finally runs them through his curls. Once she is certain that she had covered every strand, she gently runs the comb through his hair. When she is satisfied with how it looks, she picks up the second bottle, shields Michael’s eyes, and sprays his hair. “That should keep it in place for a couple of hours at least.”

Michael laughs. “If you say so.”

Isobel gives him a quick squeeze before letting go so that she could repack the bag. “Come help me bring the last of the food out.” She checks her phone. “We have about fifteen minutes before everyone starts arriving.”

Rolling his eyes, Michael gives a little bow and gestures for her to lead the way. “After you, milady.” Laughing, Isobel does just that.

A while later while everyone else is enjoying the party, Michael ducks outside. The back patio was also dressed to the nines, fairy lights twinkling in the trees and bushes. Fake icicles dripped down from the roof and thanks to mother nature, a light dusting of snow coated the ground. He makes his way over to the swing that is set up and relaxes into it. He loved Isobel, but her parties tended to take a lot out of him. He often wondered how Noah did it. He had just closed his eyes when he heard rushed footsteps coming towards him. Sighing, he opened them back up only to see Kyle headed in his direction. “Michael, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere. Do you not have your phone on you?”

Michael raised a brow at him and pulled out his phone. It was on silent and he had five missed calls from Kyle. He winces. “Sorry, I was helping Iz and had it on silent.” He looks at Kyle, frowning when he noticed the other man in scrubs. “And why aren’t you dressed for the party? I know you were invited.”

Kyle sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I got called in a little bit ago.”

“Perks of being a doctor. What does it have to do with me?”

“Alex got sick a few hours ago. I’m worried that without someone to keep an eye on him, he’s going to do something stupid.”

Michael blinks and frowns. “And you want me to take care of him? I’ve never been sick a day in my life.”

“Exactly. That means you won’t get sick now.” Kyle says, crossing his arms. “Besides, I don’t think he’ll let anyone in his cabin, but he can’t stop you from getting in.”

Michael groans and pushes himself to his feet. “Fine, but you have to tell Isobel why I left.”

Kyle smirks and turns to leave. “Deal.”

So one google search, one stop at the grocery store, and one forty five minute drive later, Michael was pulling his truck up to Alex’s cabin. All the lights were on, but it was very quiet. He climbed out of his truck, grabbed the bag of supplies he had picked up, then made his way to the cabin door. He knocked on the door and heard Buffy’s soft barks and the clack of her nails as she made her way to the door. He smiled as he waited. A few moments later he heard the soft pad of human feet as Alex opened the door. He was wearing a thick dark red jumper, black sweat pants, and fluffy red socks. His eyes were bloodshot and slightly glassy. His hair was a crazy mess. He looked at Michael as if he was unsure of what he was seeing, but eventually Alex moved back to allow him entry. Buffy waddled up to him to demand pets. As Michael reached down to give her what she wanted, Alex shut the door.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t Isobel have her party today?”

“Yeah, but Kyle said you were sick and that someone should keep an eye on you. So here I am.” Michael says, glancing over at Alex.

Alex crosses his arms and an annoyed look flashes across his face. “I don’t need a babysitter, Michael.”

Michael looks over at him, unamused. “You know what, I _might_ have believed you if you didn’t look like you were about to collapse.” Alex lets out a huff and looks away. “Now, I may not be sure about what to do with someone who’s sick, but I am sure that you shouldn’t be standing. Do you want to rest on the couch or your bed?”

Alex eyes him suspiciously before a hand through his hair and making his way to his living room. “The couch. I don’t want to lay down right now.”

“Have you had anything to eat today? That you’ve kept down? Or drinks?” Michael asks, making his way to the kitchen. When he doesn’t receive an answer, he turns to look at Alex. “Alex?”

Alex is sitting on his couch, legs curled under him. He has a thick blanket wrapped around his shoulders is picking at his jumper. His face is red, but Michael can’t tell if he’s embarrassed, has a fever, or both. Michael sets the bags down and makes his way over to him. He raises a hand to Alex’s forehead and Alex pushes his hand away. “Stop that. I had water, but I nothing else. I was supposed to go shopping tomorrow, but I’m just not feeling it. Buffy has two weeks worth of food, so it wasn’t a big deal .”

“You not having food is kind of a big deal.” Michael says, rolling his eyes.

“I have things to eat. Just nothing to make actual meals. I’ve been eating out a lot,” Alex admits. “I’ve been looking through the Project Shepard files, trying to find anything that might actually be useful.”

Michael rubs a hand over his face. “So you haven’t been taking care of yourself? Alex, you can’t do that. None of us want you to do that. I-we like you healthy.”

Alex shrugs and keeps looking down. “Someone has to fix what was done. What my _family_ did.”

“What happened these past seventy years wasn’t your fault, Alex. You don’t need to pay for the sins of your forefathers. So take a break. You aren’t going back until your completely better.” Michael tells him. “We don’t need you passing out in a place nobody can get ahold of you in. Especially not when you take Buffy wherever you go. It doesn’t help if she can’t get help”

Alex looks like he is going to argue for a moment, then folds in on himself. His eyes dart to Buffy, then to Michael. “Fine. But I still don’t need you watching over me. I’ll be good here on my own.”

Michael lets out a laugh. “Yeah, no. I don’t trust you to cook anything when you look like a stiff breeze can knock you over. I’ll make you some soup for now and I’ll make Kyle or Liz get some groceries for later.”

Alex looks away with a huff. “I’m not some delicate flower, Guerin. I can take care of myself. Don’t you have other, more important places to be?”

“No, I don’t. The only obligation I had was Izzy’s party and she’ll understand why I left.” Michael said, sitting down properly. “Stop being so damn grumpy and let me take care of you. You are allowed to need help, Alex. That doesn’t make you weak.” When Alex says nothing and continues to stare at the wall, Michael sighs and pushes himself to his feet. “I’ll be in the kitchen. Call me if you need me.”

Michael took his time in the kitchen, finding all the stuff he needed to make the soup. He poured a whole box of chicken stock into a pan so that it could boil. He adds a good amount of salt and pepper to the it. While he waited for it to boil, he set a pan on the next burner and added a couple teaspoons of oil. Once it was hot, he seasoned four chicken thighs and placed them into the pan to cook. Once the chicken stock had come to a boil, he lowered the heat so that it would simmer. While keeping an eye on the chicken, Michael pulled out some cloves of garlic and began chopping them up and adding them to the chicken stock. He opened a bag of mixed veggies and added them to the pot as well. When the chicken thighs were cooked through, he cut them up and placed them into the bigger pot. He found the bag of noodles he had bought and dumped those in as well. Once that was finished and all he had to do was wait, Michael sat down at the kitchen table. He had heard the television come on at some point, but he didn’t want to bother him.

As he pulled out his phone, Buffy came waddling into the kitchen. She sits down beside him and gives him a look. Michael eyes her warily. “What? Go back to Alex. He needs company.” When all she does is blink at him, he sighs. “He doesn’t actually want me here, girl. I’m not going to inflict my presence on him anymore than actually necessary.” This causes her to let out a soft whine and lower herself to the floor. Michael groans and stands. “Fine, but if he bites my head off, it’s your fault.”

Buffy lets out a happy huff and jumps up, leading the way back to the living room. She pauses at the doorway to make sure he was following her. Michael waves her on, making a stop at the fridge for a Gatorade before walking back into the living room. Buffy hops up onto the couch and snuggles down in the curve off Alex’s legs. Alex himself was laying across the couch, head on a pillow. He was facing the tv, but his gaze was unfocused. Michael set the bottle on the floor in front of Alex and took the free chair. Alex murmured a quiet “thank you” as Michael relaxed.

They made it through an episode of _Queer Eye_ before Michael went and checked on the soup. Deeming it done, he turned the burner off and moved the pot to a cool one so it could thicken. He poked around the cabinets until he found the bowl and pulled two down. He continued his exploration until he found the silverware. Grabbing two, he moved back to the stove. He ladled soup into both the bowls and carried them to the living room. Setting them on the table, he glanced at Alex. “Lex, I need you to sit up so you can eat.” All this got from Alex was a groan. Michael smiled and moved to the couch. He leaned over Alex until the sick man opened one of his eyes. “You have to eat. It will help build your strength back up.”

Alex glared weakly at him, then held out his arms. Michael’s smile softened and he took Alex’s hands in his and helped him sit up. Alex looked a little worse for wear and Michael frowned. “Are you feeling okay? You look worse than you did when I got here.”

Alex sighed. “I’m fairly certain I have a fever. Can you grab the thermometer from the bathroom? It’s in the medicine cabinet.”

Michael nods and speed walks his way to the bathroom. He rummages around the cabinet and grabs the thermometer. He makes his way back to Alex and holds it out to Alex. Alex takes it and places it under his tongue, then closes his mouth. When they hear the beep, Alex pulls it back out of his mouth. “99.9 degrees. Not great, but it could be worse.” Alex looks up at Michael with a weak smile. “Thanks for coming. I know I wasn’t very nice earlier, but I do appreciate it.”

“It really isn’t that big a deal. I love you. That means taking care of you. Even when you don’t want me too.” Michael said, sitting beside him and using his powers to pull the coffee table closer without spilling the soup. Alex stared at Michael, mouth open. When Michael looks over at him and sees the shock on his face, he sighs. “I know I fucked up a while back with the whole Maria thing, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

Alex lets out a rough laugh and curls in on himself. “You said you didn’t want anything to do with me.”

Michael looks down, shame on his face. “I was hurting. And scared. I didn’t mean it, not really. But by the time I got over the hurt and the shock. After Maria. I figured that I had fucked up. That I had done to much damage to fix what we had. So I just. Didn’t say anything.” He looks back up at Alex. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I hurt you the way I did. It wasn’t fair, not to either of you.”

Alex had raised a hand to cover his open mouth. His eyes were glossy, this time with unshed tears. “I told you were my _family_ Michael. I meant that. I never stopped loving you. I was hoping that once you had time, that maybe we could try again. It just never seemed to be the right time.” He reached over and took one of Michael’s hands in his. “We could try now? If you wanted.”

“Are you sure?” Michael asked. “You are sick. Maybe the fever is messing with your brain.”

Alex rolled his eyes, then winced. “I’m sure. I don’t want anyone else. I tried. Didn’t work out all that well. You are it for me, Michael Guerin. Nobody else will do.”

A slow smile spread across Michael’s face. “You’re it for me too, Alex Manes.” He leans forward to press his forehead against Alex’s.

Alex smiled, then sighed. “I guess I’m going to have to thank Kyle for this.”

Michael pulls back to give Alex a confused look. “Why?”

Alex pulled his phone out from inside his blanket to show Michael. He had Instagram pulled up. Right at the top was a picture of Kyle, dressed smartly in a dark blue suit standing next to Liz and holding up props from Isobel’s party. “Seems he didn’t need to go into work after all.”

Michael shakes his head as he looks at the picture. “Sneaky little man, isn’t he? Whatever. I think I got the better end of the deal.” Alex smiles and squeezes his hand.


End file.
